Seven jobs an Australian small business can hand to AI this month

The best first AI project is usually boring. Pick a job that happens often, follows a pattern and is easy to check. Here are seven that suit most small businesses.

1. Answering after-hours enquiries

If people contact you at night or on weekends, an AI assistant can answer common questions and collect their details, so you start the next morning with a list of warm leads instead of missed calls.

2. Writing the first draft of quotes and emails

Most business emails follow a pattern. AI can draft a reply from your notes and past examples, and you just check it and press send. Keep a person in the loop for anything involving price or a promise.

3. Sorting your inbox

AI can read incoming email, label it by type and flag what’s urgent. Even without any automatic replies, this saves time every day.

4. Pulling details from invoices and forms

Reading supplier invoices and typing them into Xero or MYOB is a good job to automate. AI pulls out the details, and your bookkeeper checks anything it isn’t sure about.

5. Summarising meetings and calls

Record a meeting with everyone’s consent, and AI can produce a summary and a list of actions. Check the recording rules that apply in your state first, as they vary.

6. Turning one idea into a month of content

Give AI one good customer question, and it can help you turn it into a blog post, some social posts and a short video script. You still need to add your own experience and examples.

7. Answering staff questions

Put your procedures and policies into a private assistant, and new staff can ask it how things work instead of interrupting someone.

How to choose your first one

Ask three questions about each job:

• How many hours does it take each week?
• How easily could someone check the result?
• What would a mistake cost?

Start with the job that takes the most time and has the lowest cost of a mistake. Measure the hours before and after, so you know whether it worked.